Latest from the OSCE Special Monitoring Mission to Ukraine (SMM), based on information received as of 19:30, 19 March 2018

This report is for the media and the general public.

The SMM recorded more ceasefire violations in Donetsk region compared with the previous 24 hours and no ceasefire violations in Luhansk region. The SMM followed up on reports of a civilian casualty in Pikuzy. It observed damage to civilian properties in residential areas of Sakhanka caused by shelling. The Mission continued monitoring the disengagement areas near Stanytsia Luhanska, Zolote and Petrivske. Its access remained restricted there and elsewhere, including at checkpoints near Olenivka and Staromykhailivka.* The Mission observed weapons in violation of withdrawal lines near Lomakyne. The SMM continued to facilitate and monitor repairs to a pumping station near Artema and continued to facilitate access for workers to and from the Donetsk Filtration Station. The SMM monitored a peaceful gathering in Odessa.

In Donetsk region, the SMM recorded more ceasefire violations[1], including about 65 explosions, compared with the previous 24 hours (about 30 explosions).

On the evening of 18 March, the SMM camera at the Donetsk Filtration Station (15km north of Donetsk) recorded a projectile in flight from west to east 0.5-3km south.

On the evening and night of 18-19 March, the SMM camera at the entry-exit checkpoint in Marinka (government-controlled, 23km south-west of Donetsk) recorded five undetermined explosions 1-3km north.

On the evening and night of 18-19 March, the SMM camera 1km south-west of Shyrokyne (20km east of Mariupol) recorded, in sequence, an undetermined explosion, 13 projectiles in flight from west to east and three projectiles from east to west, followed by a total of 73 projectiles (three from east to west and 70 from west to east), all 1-4km north.

On the evening and night of 18-19 March, while in Svitlodarsk (government-controlled, 57km north-east of Donetsk), the SMM recorded ten undetermined explosions and about 240 bursts of heavy-machine-gun fire, all 4-8km south-east. During the day on 19 March, the SMM heard 13 undetermined explosions 7-8km south-east.

During the day on 19 March, positioned in the Trudivski area of Donetsk city’s Petrovskyi district (non-government-controlled, 15km south-west of the city centre) for about an hour, the SMM heard five undetermined explosions 1.5km south-west.

Positioned at the railway station in Yasynuvata (non-government-controlled, 16km north-east of Donetsk) for about five hours, the SMM heard two undetermined explosions and six bursts of heavy-machine-gun fire, all 1-8km south-west and west.

Positioned at a checkpoint on the southern edge of Olenivka (non-government-controlled, 25km south-west of Donetsk) for about two hours, the SMM heard four undetermined explosions 3-6km south-west.

Positioned 2km south-east of Lomakyne (government-controlled, 93km south of Donetsk) for about two hours, the SMM heard 14 undetermined explosions at undetermined distances north-east and south-east.

Positioned 3km south-west of Chermalyk (government-controlled, 31km north-east of Mariupol) for about an hour, the SMM heard two explosions assessed as outgoing fire 2km east, as well as four explosions (one assessed as an impact, one as outgoing fire and two undetermined) and seven shots of small-arms fire, all at undetermined distances east-north-east and east-south-east.

In Luhansk region, the SMM recorded no ceasefire violations.[2] (The SMM also recorded no ceasefire violations in Luhansk region during the previous 24 hours.)

The SMM followed up on reports of a civilian casualty in Pikuzy (formerly Kominternove, non-government-controlled, 23km north-east of Mariupol). On 19 March, a woman (aged 50-60) told the SMM that while she had been standing on Akhmatova Street in Pikuzy at about 12:00 on 14 March, a bullet had grazed her in the abdomen area. The woman showed the SMM a bruise on her abdomen. She added that the bullet had ricocheted on the metal door of a shop nearby. At a shop on Akhmatova Street, the SMM saw fresh traces of a bullet ricochet on the metal door of the shop; it assessed that the round had been fired from a north-westerly direction.

The SMM observed damage to civilian properties in residential areas. In Sakhanka (non-government-controlled, 24km north-east of Mariupol), the SMM observed three fresh impact sites. Approximately 40m south-east of a one-storey house at 26 Havrylenko Street, the SMM saw a fresh crater on a paved road; it assessed it as caused by a mortar (120mm) round fired from a south-westerly direction. A man (aged 40-50), who introduced himself as a resident of the house, told the SMM that shelling had occurred in the area at around 22:00 on 17 March. Approximately 60m east of the house, the SMM saw fresh tracks of an armoured personnel carrier (APC) (MT-LB) chassis leading east. On Lenina Street, the SMM saw two fresh craters in a yard about 6m east from the nearest residential house. The SMM assessed them as caused by mortar (120mm) rounds fired from a south-westerly direction. The SMM observed shrapnel damage to the west-facing walls of the house and to the west-facing side of a fence, located about 10m west of the house.    

The SMM continued to monitor the disengagement process and to pursue full access to the disengagement areas near Stanytsia Luhanska (government-controlled, 16km north-east of Luhansk), Zolote (government-controlled, 60km west of Luhansk) and Petrivske (non-government-controlled, 41km south of Donetsk), as foreseen in the Framework Decision of the Trilateral Contact Group relating to disengagement of forces and hardware of 21 September 2016. The SMM’s access remained restricted, but the Mission was able to partially monitor them.*

Positioned near the Stanytsia Luhanska and Zolote disengagement areas on 19 March, the SMM observed calm situations.

The SMM continued to monitor the withdrawal of weapons in implementation of the Package of Measures and its Addendum as well as the Memorandum.

In violation of withdrawal lines in a government-controlled area, an SMM mini-unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) spotted, on 17 March, two surface-to-air missile systems (9K35 Strela-10) near Lomakyne (93km south of Donetsk).

Beyond withdrawal lines but outside designated storage sites, in a government-controlled area, the SMM saw four towed howitzers (one 2A36 Giatsint-B, 152mm; one 2A65 Msta-B, 152mm; and two undetermined) and a self-propelled howitzer (2S1 Gvozdika, 122mm) stationary at a train station in Rubizhne (84km north-west of Luhansk). 

The SMM observed armoured combat vehicles and anti-aircraft guns[3] in the security zone. In government-controlled areas, an SMM mini-UAV spotted, on 17 March, five self-propelled anti-aircraft guns (ZSU-23-4 Shilka, 23mm) near Lomakyne. In non-government-controlled areas, the SMM saw, on 19 March, four infantry fighting vehicles (BMP-1) near Novolaspa (50km south of Donetsk).

The SMM continued to facilitate and monitor repairs to a pumping station near Artema (government-controlled, 26km north of Luhansk). The SMM continued to facilitate access of Voda Donbassa water company employees to and from the Donetsk Filtration Station to keep the station operational and monitored the security situation about 1km south-east from the station, on road H20. (See SMM Daily Report 19 March 2018.)

The SMM visited two border areas not under government control. While at a border crossing point near Marynivka (78km east of Donetsk) for about 25 minutes, the SMM observed eight cars (five with Ukrainian licence plates and three with “DPR” plates) and one pedestrian (a man aged 30-40) exiting Ukraine. The SMM saw two pedestrians (men aged 50-60) and two cars with Ukrainian licence plates entering Ukraine.

While at a border crossing point near Novoazovsk (102km south-east of Donetsk) for about 30 minutes, the SMM saw a car with Ukrainian licence plates exiting Ukraine and a car with Ukrainian licence plates entering Ukraine.

In Odessa, on 18 March, the SMM saw about 150 people (mostly men, mixed ages) gathered near the Duke Monument on Prymorskyi Boulevard. Some of them were carrying Ukrainian flags, red-and-black flags and flags of a political party, as well as banners with messages in Ukrainian language critical of the Government. The SMM saw four police officers and two National Guard officers securing the gathering, which dispersed without incidents.

The SMM continued monitoring in Kherson, Lviv, Ivano-Frankivsk, Kharkiv, Dnipro, Chernivtsi and Kyiv.

*Restrictions of SMM’s freedom of movement or other impediments to fulfilment of its mandate

The SMM’s monitoring and freedom of movement are restricted by security hazards and threats, including risks posed by mines, unexploded ordnance (UXO) and other impediments – which vary from day to day. The SMM’s mandate provides for safe and secure access throughout Ukraine. All signatories of the Package of Measures have agreed on the need for this safe and secure access, that restriction of the SMM’s freedom of movement constitutes a violation, and on the need for rapid response to these violations. They have also agreed that the Joint Centre for Control and Coordination (JCCC) should contribute to such response and co-ordinate mine clearance. Nonetheless, the armed formations in parts of Donetsk and Luhansk regions frequently deny the SMM access to areas adjacent to Ukraine’s border outside control of the Government, citing orders to do so (see, for example, SMM Daily Report 17 March 2018). The SMM’s operations in Donetsk and Luhansk regions remain restricted following the fatal incident of 23 April 2017 near Pryshyb; these restrictions continued to limit the Mission’s observations.

Denial of access:

• Close to a checkpoint near Olenivka, a “DPR” member did not allow the SMM to conduct a flight of its mini-UAV over the area.
• At a checkpoint near Staromykhailivka (non-government-controlled, 15km west of Donetsk), an armed “DPR” member denied the SMM passage.

Related to disengagement areas and mines/UXO:

• The SMM was prevented from accessing parts of the Stanytsia Luhanska disengagement area, with the exception of the main road, due to the possible presence of mines and UXO. A Ukrainian Armed Forces officer of the JCCC told the SMM that he had no information regarding demining activities over the previous 24 hours. The SMM did not consider it safe to proceed and informed the JCCC.[4]
• The SMM was prevented from accessing secondary roads in the Zolote disengagement area due to the possible presence of mines and UXO. A Ukrainian Armed Forces officer of the JCCC told the SMM by phone that he had no information regarding demining in the area during the previous 24 hours. The SMM did not consider it safe to proceed and informed the JCCC.5
• The SMM was prevented from accessing secondary roads south of the Zolote disengagement area due to the possible presence of mines and UXO. An armed formation member positioned on the southern side of the Zolote disengagement area told the SMM that no demining had taken place during the previous 24 hours. The SMM did not consider it safe to proceed.

[1] For a complete breakdown of the ceasefire violations, please see the annexed table.

[2] During the reporting period, the SMM’s ability to patrol in Luhansk region was limited due to adverse weather conditions.

[3] This hardware is not proscribed by the provisions of the Minsk agreements on the withdrawal of weapons.

[4] The SMM informed Ukrainian Armed Forces officers of the JCCC. Russian Federation Armed Forces officers of the JCCC have withdrawn from the JCCC as of 18 December 201